BitTorrent is the technology that allows you to share files on a peer-to-peer basis over the internet, meaning that the files that you get will be transferred directly from the user’s devices. Nobody is hosting these files on a dedicated server, but you will be able to get the files directly by requesting the users that have the files stored on their devices. These users are called the seeders.
The technology behind BitTorrent itself is not illegal, but it is often used to illegally sharing copyrighted materials, which is the root of the problem here. Since torrenting or BitTorrent technology has been used to share various materials that are illegal in nature, many countries have forbidden the use of torrents or BitTorrent technology for their citizens. This is to prevent piracy and illegal downloading, and as a result, you will not be able to access any torrenting sites if you live in one of these countries.
However, you can always bypass this restriction by using VPN. Here are 5 rules of using VPN for torrents in countries that forbid the use of BitTorrent:
1. Learn Whether Torrenting Can Get You In Trouble With The Laws
Most of the countries in the world, while they don’t allow torrenting, will only go as far as blocking their citizens from accessing torrenting sites. They practically don’t care if their citizens can bypass their blocking, and so, essentially, using VPN in such countries will not give you any problem.
However, in some special countries, they don’t allow torrenting and will enforce laws upon their citizens if they manage to bypass the government blocking. If you are living in this type of countries, then using torrents can be very dangerous and troublesome. It is advised to make sure that your country won’t persecute you just for using BitTorrent and accessing torrent sites.
2. Use Only VPN That Has Specialized Servers For Torrents
Once you are sure that you can use the VPN safely without having to face the threats from the government or authorities, it’s time for you to find the VPN service that can do the job properly. Most VPN services will allow you to do some torrenting. Even the free VPN services will allow you to access torrent sites and download and upload files from those sites using BitTorrent.
However, it will give you the best experience to use the virtual private connection that offers specialized servers for torrents. Usually, these servers are so optimized for torrents that they will provide the most stable and fastest speed for torrent download and upload. The trick is that you need to switch to the torrenting server first before you can use your BitTorrent client to start doing some file sharing activities.
3. Use The BitTorrent Technology Wisely
Again, what makes torrenting illegal in some countries is the data that is being shared in it. If you use torrents for legitimate file sharing, such as sharing legitimate software (mostly open source software), public domain books, free music (indie music), free movies, and anything that doesn’t infringe the copyright of any company or person, then you are completely free to use BitTorrent as much as you want. But, even though you choose to download copyrighted materials using torrents, it is still your choice and your own responsibility.
What you need to do is to ensure that you are using the BitTorrent technology wisely. Be aware of the laws in your country and how generally the people in your community use this technology. Mostly, avoid using it for illegal file-sharing activity if you know that the authorities will enforce laws and persecute you right away.
4. Make Sure To Encrypt The Whole System, Not Just The Browser
When using VPN for torrenting, don’t apply the VPN system only on your browser. There are some VPN services that provide browser extensions that allow you to activate their private connection only on your browser. However, it is always beneficial for you to encrypt the network in the whole system.
It is always better to install the VPN software in your computer so that all software used within the computer will only send and transfer data via the VPN connection. This is beneficial to ensure the maximum security and privacy while you use the torrenting sites as well as when you browse the internet normally.
5. Check For IP Leak Regularly
Lastly, IP leak can happen anytime that can expose your identity to the government or the public during the torrenting activity. You have to check the IP leak regularly as to prevent any unwanted IP change in your system, which is the change from the private IP address to the public IP address.
Remember that IP leak can potentially leak your personal information, so you have to check for IP leak regularly. Or, if your VPN service has the kill switch feature available, you have to turn it on. This is the feature that has been known to prevent any possible IP leak in your private connection.